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Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell's administration has asked the City Council to reconsider a fuel-tax increase and seek other rate hikes to fund a pay raise for members of public worker unions. The gas-tax increase would be 5 cents per gallon.

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A bipartisan measure expected to be voted on by the full Legislature in New Jersey on Monday could raise the state's gas tax by 23 cents while cutting some other taxes. While many oppose the hike, they appear to grudgingly accept the necessity, particularly if the revenue goes to fund transportation projects.

Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon hopes to attach a proposed 15-cent-per-gallon fuel-tax increase to the $325 billion transportation-spending bill the House will look at this week. "My amendment will not only fully fund H.R. 3763, but also provide enough revenue to increase investment above the current, anemic levels of spending," he said.

Democratic legislators have typically been somewhat supportive of raising the federal gas tax to fund infrastructure needs. Now, leaders in the Republican party are starting to voice some support as well. "Comments this week from Sens. [Jim] Inhofe, [Orrin] Hatch and [John] Thune signal a growing recognition that the gas tax is a fair and consistent way to fund our infrastructure needs," said Association of Equipment Manufacturers spokesman Michael O'Brien.

There has not be an increasing in the federal gas tax in more than 20 years, even though the cost of building materials and labor has risen. Some states are trying to solve the funding shortfall through the public-private partnership model to build and repair roads, bridges and other infrastructure. But some others have gone ahead and raised -- or hope to raise -- the gas tax on their own because "[c]ities and metropolitan regions are having to figure it out for [them]selves," says Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.